A Family Adventure of the 2,185 mile hike from Georgia to Maine – 2014

Up early, All In caught sunrise back up at McAfee’s knob, while the rest of the family slept in. Then a few easy miles into town for some resupply. The weather continues to be remarkable, and the flowers are still in bloom. The trail brought us across Tinker Cliffs, another scenic view over the valley back toward McAfee’s knob.

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Another cold night and crisp cool morning. We’ve been walking with spring in the perpetual peak of wildflower blooms. Cartwheel has been decorating Mama Bear’s braids with the pink rhododendron and red fire pink wildflowers to match her outfits.

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The day dawned cool, clear and windy. Perfect for drying out the soggy clothes and tent from the night before. The streams were swollen to quadruple the size of the previous day, each mountain watershed acting as a funnel for its respective outflow. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their unsupervised stay in the shelter (and the parents enjoyed their snuggle time in the tent). Thankfully our friend Tigger was able to keep some order and get the kids to bed on time (and override our friend Seabiscuit’s call to pump them full of Oreos at hiker midnight (sundown)).

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The rains came. And heavy. But you don’t weather ten years together without finding your way through a few a storms. And ten years ago today, on Bremen Long Island, on an precocious spring day (it was seventy degrees with the trees almost completely leafed-out), we a tied a knot that has held strong through rougher storms than this.

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We had a slow morning after a late night. In an unprecedented occurrence, RobinHood fell back asleep after initially getting up for the morning. Breakfasts following afternoon resupplies are always the best: fresh mango and strawberries, coffee and biscuits. Then we cruised along the ridge until lunch: avocado, cheese, carrots, sprouts and apple on e fresh bread leftover from the hostel. Read More

After a home-cooked breakfast, we left the Woodshole hostel, climbed the ridge, and headed north in the hot hot sun. RobinHood, having grown out of his deteriating hiking shoes, had a new pair shipped to the hostel, and commented that they felt like he was walking on a cushion of air. He took advantage of a power line cut to hang the hammock during the lunchtime break, then the guys gave the girls the near-empty food bags and speed-hiked the next five miles into town to resupply in Pearisburg. Read More

When Benton Mackaye first envisioned the Appalachian Trail early in the twentieth century, he envisioned much more than a recreational footpath. His writings from that era tote the benefits of the trail, not just for the walker to receive a necessary reprieve from the stresses of city life, but also as a cultural and economic lifeline to the rural communities and way of life that he treasured. Read More

The day dawned clear and we broke camp with haste as we had dry-camped on a ridge and needed to make our way to water for breakfast. We had enough for a few sips for everyone in the morning, then found a trickling stream where the kids constructed a rhododendron leaf chute to fill our water bottles. We took the opportunity for a long break and cooked oatmeal and tea. Read More

The morning brought a sorrowful farewell to uncle Avery and Christina. A rainstorm coupled with their recent departure brought on some homesickness. Together with a willful refusal to actually don rain gear, we hit a morning low. The lightening of the drizzle, and a few stream and waterfall stops to fish, and spirits were restored.

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Today brought fewer fauna sightings, but we were treated to some fascinating flora: a tree with large orange flowers, sprouting pink lady slippers, and many trees, like the shag-barked hickory (whose range extends into New England, but which I’ve never seen in Maine). We also learned about more wild edibles, including the ubiquitous creeping green briars, whose new leaves and climbing tendrils taste faintly of asparagus.

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